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Little did we know, everyone’s favourite from Snow Pony is the smashed avocado. The first time we visited Snow Pony, T ordered a baguette as he was avoiding eggs plus it was past lunch time and I think eggs should only be a hero on breakfast/brunch plates. As for myself, I got a brownie with coffee – as I already had brunch. It was a spontaneous first visit. I was only interested in trying the coffee until I arrived there and saw the menu.

Snow Pony is the sister cafe of Porgie and Mr Jones. Hence they share similar menu. SP presents a variety of choices on the menu for breakfast, brunch and lunch – catering to a different degree of appetite level and vegetarians fret not, there are choices for you too! However, the chicken baguette really caught our attention.

I wanted to try the baguette too but I have to slap myself down as I already had my lunch. (no 2nd lunch for me 😦 ) T chicken baguette pick was an excellent pick. It was a beautiful baguette. Good baguettes are hard to come by. For some reason, most places serve stale baguette. For this reason, I didn’t like baguettes alot. I associate baguettes with diffculty chomping. One has to go through the motion to finish a baguette. But why? Eating is suppose to be joyful! But Snow Pony’s baguette was fresh. It made me love baguettes again and each time I saw those sticks of baguettes I thought of that chicken baguette from SP. The filling in the baguette was delicious, with poached chicken coated in specially made mayo by SP and sprinkled with chives. Plus a big fresh cos lettuce leaf for added crunch. (yum yum!). I had a few stolen bites of the chicken baguettes and I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! I was disappointed that I couldn’t have 1 all by myself when I was there… maybe a little bit devastated even. It is a really good baguette…

T was sweet enough to bring me there again shortly after. This time round, I went in starving and I am lost, I don’t know where to start. Everything on the menu sounded so good!! If anyone were to hold a breakfast banquet at SP, I would be too busy stuffing myself to talk to anyone. Despite of my earlier disappointment for missing out the opportunity to enjoy the chicken baguette, Bang Bang eggs with its hazelnut dukkah on toast sounded interesting . So I awkwardly ordered the eggs. (How did they come out with the name?)

Bang Bang eggs arrived with a bunch of spinach leaves heaped on top of the hazelnut dukkah. It presentation was messy. I have to shift the leaves aside to reveal the dukkah but the eggs were still hidden in view. When I finally shifted through the heap and cut through the beautifully poached eggs, golden-yolk goodness was flowing. SP has done the free range eggs justice by keeping the compliments refreshing and subtle while you enjoy the freshness of the eggs. However, towards the end of the dish, the dukkah and the grainy texture from the toast are tiring me out. Perhaps a little less dukkah or a different kind of bread with non-grainy texture would be better.

The sweets in the cabinet didn’t appeal to me and the chocolate brownie I ordered the first time I was there was a little dry. Hence, the dessert is dubious. The coffee wasn’t great. Like Porgie and Mr Jones, it was good coffee, with 1 cup rating from The Age Good Cafe Guide. I wouldn’t recommend Snow Pony for coffee and cakes for the distance from the city but it is definitely a food place for me.

I’m going to try and recreate the chicken baguette my way. So stay tuned for my next entry! 🙂

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I first read about Porgie and Mr Jones when I was looking up Snow Pony’s address in Broadsheet. (I didn’t bring my camera with me to Snow Pony. Perhaps a post from my next visit after taking some shots.) Is this cute Mr Porgie and Mr Jones name that strikes my interest and curiosity. For some strange reason, Wimpy from Popeye came to my mind when Porgie is said out aloud. Mr Jones is a common English name. There is no air and arrogance to this character. When put together, Porgie and Mr Jones renders nostalgia with a tinge of childhood happiness and a homely, inviting feeling.

We arrived at around 11am just before lunchtime. I was bracing myself for a long wait but we got a table after a 10 minute wait. Not so bad for a popular cafe. At the entrance, it has a typical cafe configuration where there is a communal table, a few 2-seaters and the counter and coffee-maker at the front. The rustic wall texture and the contrast black wall beg to differ. A few other quirky articles such as the stylistic hanging bulbs over the counter, the red hanging chair (my favourite!) and the potted plants on the wall make the place interesting.

We were led through the main dining room, halfway to the 2nd main dining space at the back of the shop. This is where personality of Porgie and Mr Jones emerges. It is homely and filled with nostalgic furniture. From where I sat, I saw a fireplace and an armchair next to it. It looks like a living room that houses tables and chairs for cafe patrons. The place we were seated, it seemed like a small family’s kitchen. The main entrance where we come through is an extension of a house. I was half expecting Mr Jones to walk down the stairs with his pipe and sit on his armchair with a good book.

I ordered the smashed avocado with poached egg and it arrived in a very generous portion. T got the chicken baguette and he reckons that Snow Pony has a better chicken baguette even though they seem to come from the same people. Coffee was relatively good but I won’t give them a 5 beans rating. They are nothing like Monk Bodhi who are at the top of my list. Nevertheless, it is still a good morning coffee to indulge on a weekend brunch. Waitresses are really busy and the place is really noisy. Perhaps it was where we were being seated – small space, loud echo. I can’t think or hear T. Despite this, I will still return to Porgie and recommend this place for brunch and coffee.

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Balaclava, the head mask – never heard of. I would have just call it the head mask. Balaclava, the suburb – only heard of it once because my colleague live in that suburb.

Balaclava is a suburb at St Kilda East. I really have no business in that suburb other than to visit Monk Bodhi Dharma (MBD), apparently rated as one of the best coffee shops Melbourne has to offer, right after St Ali and 7 seeds.

This little coffee shop is tiny and every seat in the house is filled up. This is the smallest coffee shop I have ever seen. This is a coffee closet! Tushar and I almost missed it, if not for parking behind Safeway and choose to walk out from of the carpark through a cobble road. MBD is only a tiny brick house extension of a bigger brick building. It only has a door entrance and it was the coffee patrons on the plastic crates that caught my eye, that I stopped to take a double take.

We went in and the place was packed but at a quick glance, I saw a small kitchen, a roasting machine, 3 long tables packed with Sunday lunch-ers. We ordered a latte and a soy flat white. Our trip to Balaclava is paid off – latte is 5 coffee beans rating, at the right temperature with the right volume and is not too bitter for my taste. The soy flat white is actually tasty, disproving my theory of coffee is only good with full cream milk. It’s so good, soy espresso is not just a healthier/lesser fat alternative at Monk Bodhi Dharma, it should be one of the highlights. Never have I come across such tasty soy espresso, except for the soy latte at sensory lab Bourke St which I enjoy heaps!

Balaclava has a few good coffee shops, this will not be the last coffee post from Balaclava.